tortuous mazes of the pack it was necessary often to split floes by
driving the ship against them. This form of attack was effective
against ice up to three feet in thickness, and the process is
interesting enough to be worth describing briefly. When the way was
barred by a floe of moderate thickness we would drive the ship at half
speed against it, stopping the engines just before the impact. At the
first blow the 'Endurance' would cut a V-shaped nick in the face of the
floe, the slope of her cutwater often causing her bows to rise till
nearly clear of the water, when she would slide backwards, rolling
slightly. Watching carefully that loose lumps of ice did not damage
the propeller, we would reverse the engines and back the ship off 200
to 300 yds. She would then be driven full speed into the V, taking
care to hit the centre accurately. The operation would be repeated
until a short dock was cut, into which the ship, acting as a large
wedge, was driven. At about the fourth attempt, if it was to succeed
at all, the floe would yield. A black, sinuous line, as though pen-
drawn on white paper, would appear ahead, broadening as the eye traced
it back to the ship. Presently it would be broad enough to receive
her, and we would forge ahead. Under the bows and alongside, great
slabs of ice were being turned over and slid back on the floe, or
driven down and under the ice or ship. In thus way the 'Endurance'
would split a 2-ft. to 3-ft. floe a square mile in extent. Occasionally
the floe, although cracked across, would be so held by other floes that
it would refuse to open wide, and so gradually would bring the ship to
a standstill. We would then go astern for some distance and again
drive her full speed into the crack, till finally the floe would yield
to the repeated onslaughts.